FALLS VILLAGE, Conn. — Early spring on a New England produce farm is like watching a pot come to a boil -— flower buds adorning tree limbs swell ever so slightly each day; overwintered spinach leaves expand almost imperceptibly over the course of a week; fall-planted garlic cloves sprout small green shoots up through mulched beds.
No matter how intently you watch, the pot does eventually boil and spring does reliably arrive. Unlike a pot on a hot stove though, you can’t simply turn the dial to max when impatience gets the better of you, and the signs of progress often come in fits and starts rather than a steady increase.
Seeds won’t sprout in chilly soil. If you plant seedlings on a warm day, they won’t survive the cold one that follows. Farmers get to know the preferences of our crops well, and we look for signs that the ground is ready for each one’s unique needs — when dandelions bloom, it usually means the soil is warm enough to plant potatoes; pea seeds can go in when daffodils and forsythia are in full display; the warmer season crops will go in when there is not longer a single frost in sight on the forecast.
On warm sunny days, customers ask us whether we’re harvesting yet and I don’t blame them — there is so much vibrance in the seventy-degree spring air. But the season keeps whipping around to days of rain with temperatures hovering around freezing, and we all try to find solace in the few crocuses adapted to these fickle conditions. Growing produce in a climate as seasonal as ours requires farmers to stay poised like a cat leaning into its haunches — ready for the moment when spring really gains momentum.
At Adamah Farm in Falls Village, Conn., we’ve been heating a greenhouse since March to start seedlings. Having big, healthy transplants to put in the ground when the weather settles is an important season extension method. It is a bit like time travel to go in there and see pepper plants putting on leaves and tomato seeds sprouting. The endeavor of coaxing them through this season’s volatility has required an unwavering belief that the pot will, eventually, boil.
We germinate seeds on heat mats while days of gray skies prevent the passive solar warmth that otherwise makes a greenhouse so valuable. When the power went out on Johnson Road two weeks ago, the crew spent a very exciting hour shuttling plants from the greenhouse into an onsite building with a generator through a starless evening of sleet and high wind. When our CSA members, who sign up for regular boxes of produce this season, are grilling eggplant for a July barbecue with coleslaw and fresh herbs, it will be thanks to our winter crew who cared so doggedly for the young plants.
Members of the winter crew at Adamah Farm, Imogen Lubin, Miki Benson, and Denean Ritchie, enjoy some signs of resilience through this season’s volatile weather — a leek that managed to survive the winter and a six-leaf clover!Janna Siller
Farmers in our region are bringing this spirit of resilience and nimble adaptation in responding to a changing climate. Here at Adamah, that means watching with curiosity as our fields emerge from winter a bit differently than most springs after a milder than average winter — ponds that area residents have skated on for generations remained unfrozen and there were some balmy February days that had us all in t-shirts.
Records from Cornell University’s Northeast Regional Climate Center echo what we’ve been experiencing in real time — the region had a warmer than average winter again, with average temperatures ranging up to 8 degrees warmer depending on location.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently updated its “Hardiness Zone Map,” the guidance growers use to understand which plants are well adapted to their climate. Our region shifted one zone warmer, and we are seeing the effects on our vegetable fields here in Falls Village.
Every fall, we plant cover crops at Adamah — plants that regenerate the soil over winter. We plant some that are meant to survive the winter and keep growing in spring to hold the soil in place, build life-giving biomass in the soil, and provide habitat for beneficial organisms on the farm. Others are plants not adapted to survive sustained cold, so they contribute their benefits in the early winter and then die back and become mulch for spring crops. This winter, many of those cover crops that were meant to “winter-kill” survived, and we’ve been recalibrating our field plans to adapt.
Staying agile enough to work within the constraints and opportunities provided by the seasons is part of what keeps farming exciting year to year. Whether they are milking cows, planting trees, or growing salad greens, your local farmers generally could do with a few less curve balls than we’ve had of late.
To learn more about Adamah Farm or join the vegetable CSA, a subscription program for fresh, organic produce, go to fvcsa.adamah.org.
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Ralph Fedele sits at a desk in the historic Irondale Schoolhouse, which he led the effort to relocate to downtown Millerton.
Starting in 2015, the building was disassembled and moved — piece-by-piece — thanks to the efforts of a local organization called the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse and a Millerton resident that has dedicated much of his life to the community and preserving local landmarks.
That man is Ralph Fedele, a revered figure in the community both for his efforts to restore, maintain and educate people about the former schoolhouse and for more than a decade serving on the North East Town Board.
Fedele moved to Millerton from New York City 37 years ago, in 1988, and has since worn many hats – volunteer, historian, advocate, elected official – yet he still doesn’t believe he’s earned that title.
“I’m a transplant,” he said matter of factly. “I’m from the city.”
Years after settling in Millerton full time, Fedele was driving north on Route 22 when he spotted an old, classic building and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“It was in dire straits,” he recalled. “Right on the road, but beautiful. I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great building to move into the village?’”
That moment would eventually turn into Fedele’s lasting legacy.
Fedele joked that people may have thought he was crazy during the lengthy restoration. “I was a tyrant,” he said with a laugh. “I really made sure that we were able to get it done.” The effort required coordination with the state, the county, village and town officials, and his newly assembled nonprofit board.
As a self-proclaimed history buff, Fedele didn’t stop at the restoration. He found a list of students in old records and did what any determined historian would do. He opened the telephone book and started making calls.
Eventually, he tracked down one of the schoolhouse’s original students – Mary (Mechare) Leitch – who, at the age of 101, returned to the building after renovations were complete.
“It was a marvelous time,” smiled Fedele. “I was so happy to see her.”
North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan, left, and Mary Leitch, who was the last living Irondale Schoolhouse student until her death in 2025.Provided
Leitch died on Dec. 24, 2025, at the age of 103.
Leitch was born in Millerton in 1922 and grew up on Winchell Mountain in the hamlet of Irondale. Her early schooling was at Irondale’s 1858 one-room schoolhouse until it closed in 1930. She was proud of having been the last person to attend the school. From the third grade onward, she attended school in the Millerton school district.
“If you sit still, you will rust,” was a favorite Leitch saying, perhaps inspired by the Irondale district and the area’s iron industry.
Leitch delighted in the outdoors and in the company of animals and people, caring for many dogs—especially Jack Russells—and cherishing the horses that were part of her long, vibrant life. An avid sportswoman, she enjoyed deer hunting and fishing, keeping her licenses current right up until her passing. She was a longtime member of both the Jack Russell Club of America and the Dutchess County Professional Horsemen’s Association.
In 1958, she married William “Billy” Leitch of Millbrook, a professional horseman, sharing a love of the sporting life and enjoying active membership in the Millbrook Hunt Club. Billy pre-deceased her in 2015.
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